Best Places In The World To Retire

The cost to buy land in Chapala and Ajijic varies depending on several factors but the biggest factor would be the location of the land. Land in Mexico, in general, is not cheap. One of the reasons why it is not cheap is because land is what Mexicans invest in. They do not invest in the peso, bank products, or the stock market. Historically, that has been a bad idea in Mexico. The peso gets devalued over time against other world currencies, particularly the dollar. So for Mexicans who...

The cost to buy land in Chapala and Ajijic varies depending on several factors but the biggest factor would be the location of the land. Land in Mexico, in general, is not cheap. One of the reasons why it is not cheap is because land is what Mexicans invest in. They do not invest in the peso, bank products, or the stock market. Historically, that has been a bad idea in Mexico. The peso gets devalued over time against other world currencies, particularly the dollar. So for Mexicans who want to have safe investments for their future of their family and their heirs, they buy land and the sit on it often for generations.
 
As a result, the price for land in Chapala and Ajijic is often very comparable on a square footage basis to the price in the US or Canada. A buildable lot in a good neighborhood, a ¼ acre lot would cost around $60,000 to $150,000.  The price will then vary depending on the view, whether it is part of a gated community with common areas, or how close or how far it is from the Ajijic village. $150,000 for a ¼ acre lot would be in a high scale, gated community with a lake view. $60,000 for a ¼ acre lot would be located in a nice neighborhood but without a lake view and maybe not gated.

 

(Image: lot plan in Chapala, Mexico.)

And prices?  Well, that´s the biggest surprise!  As well as variety in places, so there is the variety...

And prices?  Well, that´s the biggest surprise!  As well as variety in places, so there is the variety of prices, not to mention the 25% mandatory discount to every senior with a "pensionado" visa, or local retirees, or the 15% discount on fast food, like what you'll find in the malls, etc.  Let´s take some specific examples from the Panamá ​Citiy area.

 

Breakfast at Riu Hotel, buffet style, all you can eat, one of the best in town: the largest variety of everything you can think of, from any kind of eggs, to fruits, to exotic yogurts, for the most demanding guest or diet, will cost $18.00 less the 25% pensionado discount, plus tax, plus tip.  Can´t beat that.  The same offer goes for any of the major hotels, including Marriot, CourtYard, Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Hotel Ejecutivo, Hotel El Panamá, Hotel Miramar, Hotel Continental, Crown Royal, Gamboa Resort, Le Meridien,  Rock Cafe,  among  many other choices, one more expensive than others.

 

Lunch: from Italian, to Middle East, to Asian, to exotic and all kinds of vegetarian, Mediterranean and gluten free meals.  And of course, the Panamanian style, like Restaurante Las Tinajas,  Mi Ranchito, Las Pencas, and others, plus the ones that you can find in the countryside, across the country, like in the towns of Coronado, El Palmar and Chitré, among others.  Typical meals like carimañolas, tortillas, liver steak with grilled onions, and arroz con pollo, patacones and yuca frita are the favorite ones, at a very inexpensive prices.

 

Lunch prices vary from $6.50 to $75.00, depending where you eat.  Example:  At Waikiki Restaurant, which is close to the San Francisco area and not very sophisticated, but with excellent cuisine, you will find  a complete lunch, including soup (excellent quality), dessert and drink (usually natural juices) from $6.25 and up, and you have 4 choices.  And breakfast?  All you can ask for.  For example, one including coffee or tea, orange juice, eggs, oatmeal, steak and hojaldre could be around $8.

 

Dinner at hotels and fancy restaurants varies, and you find all kinds of ridiculously low prices.  Also, fast food promotions, like $1 burgers, or $1.99 for two pieces of chicken.  Example: Hotel  El Panamá, dinner at the pool.  An excellent prime piece of beef or chicken, made on firewood and accompanied by either rice, salad , potatoes or anything else, could go for $26.00+ without drinks or any extras.  And it is a beautiful place, where you can enjoy going into the casino, walking to the nearby stores, or simply enjoying the pool and friends, or celebrating your anniversary.  Another example could be restaurant Napoli, Italian style, situated in Obarrio; an excellent corvina (a Panamanian fish) for an average of $10.50.

 

The food in the markets in Ambergris Caye is getting better. As an ex-chef, when I first came here 15 years ago had a hankering for a Caesar’s salad and I couldn’t find a head of romaine lettuce anywhere. Now we have one divine shop here where you can actually get cold smoked Scottish salmon. You can get imported prosciutto from Italy. You can get almost anything you want here in Ambergris Caye now. It is a little pricey. Four ounces of smoked salmon will cost you around US...

The food in the markets in Ambergris Caye is getting better. As an ex-chef, when I first came here 15 years ago had a hankering for a Caesar’s salad and I couldn’t find a head of romaine lettuce anywhere. Now we have one divine shop here where you can actually get cold smoked Scottish salmon. You can get imported prosciutto from Italy. You can get almost anything you want here in Ambergris Caye now. It is a little pricey. Four ounces of smoked salmon will cost you around US $12.
 
In comparison to the food in the markets in Canada, the selection here in Ambergris Caye is less but the price is cheaper. If it is mango season here you can buy a ripe mango for about 50 cents as opposed to $6 in Canada. I like mangoes and I used to pay $6 for them in Canada. The best thing here in Ambergris Caye is that there are no growth hormones in any of the  pork, chicken, or beef raised in this country and no antibiotics pumped into then. They are all free range and they taste much, much better. The chicken here in Belize is exceptionally good and a lot healthier for you, too. 
 
We have a couple of larger grocery stores here but there is only around three of them, all around 4,000 square feet, which is much smaller than a supermarket in the US or Canada.  Most of the better deals are from the guys from the mainland who come over with a little sailboat full of fresh vegetables and fruits. You go to them on the side of the lagoon and you buy fruits and vegetables off of the boats.
 
We have a store here called The Greenhouse. You can go in there and get some fresh herbs. If you want rosemary and garlic, you can get that here now. 
 
We do not have a fresh fish market here in Ambergris Caye, which is strange because we are on an island and people go fishing every day. Most of the people who fish for a living already have relationships with the resorts and restaurants, so whatever they catch, they just bring to the restaurant or the resort where they have the relationship.
 
When I was the chef at Captain Morgan’s, I had a relationship with two fisherman who brought me fresh fish and lobster every day. Generally, if you live here for a while, you would know who to go to that could catch you some fish. I went down to the San Pedrito neighborhood and there is a guy named Mario who I have known for a while who is a seafood dealer. He buys lobsters and fish from the fishermen, who sell it directly to him.  That way, they don’t have to worry about having to sell it one at a time, so, if you want lobsters and fish, you can just go to Mario’s house. Behind his house there is a shed with a couple of freezers in it and you can buy fresh seafood from him.

 

(Fishing boat off Ambergris Caye, Belize, pictured. )